Rifts emerge on Florida Board of Education

Amid signs of growing tension between members with ties to former Gov. Jeb Bush and those tied to current Gov. Rick Scott, Kathleen Shanahan has become an increasingly vocal member the loyal opposition on the State Board of Education.

She kicked off this morning’s meeting – happening today in West Palm Beach – by declaring that the state is in “crisis time,” and the board is in the same “mess we were in” when she raised dire concerns during the board’s meeting in July, before the resignation of Education Commissioner Tony Bennett. Alluding to her coming departure, she said the board needs to get more engaged, and its “reputational integrity” is on the line.

She also took a swipe at Scott for not attending the education summit, and for not issuing a recommendation immediately afterward. Instead, she said, he is contemplating an executive order that could be issued some time this week.

“He should have sent a recommendation to the state board for consideration of action,” she said. If Scott issued an executive order after the board met, rather than coming to the board with a recommendation, it would be “embarrassing for him that he’s disrespecting the statutory integrity of this board.”

A past board chairman and a former chief of staff to Gov. Jeb Bush, she has been warning in recent months that the controversy of school grades that erupted this summer and the pending decisions state education officials face on the Common Core State Standards threaten a “crisis” of confidence in Florida’s education system – and the policy initiatives championed under her former boss.

Appointed to the board when Bush was governor, Shanahan stepped aside as chairman last year, saying she wanted to focus on her business. Her term expires in December, as does that of Sally Bradshaw, a fellow alum of Bush’s governor’s office.

Shanahan has repeatedly called on the board to come up with a transition plan for the issues that were at the heart of Gov. Rick Scott’s education summit last month: School grades, teacher evaluations, new standards, and new tests that will eventually replace the FCAT. Those initiatives have come under fire from activists on the right and left.

Gary Chartrand, a Scott appointee who replaced Shanahan as chair, said he did not think the state’s education system is in crisis, and noted that the outcome of the summit will be discussed today.

Pam Stewart, who is currently serving as interim education commissioner, agreed.

“I don’t see us in a crisis, but I see us in a time of urgency,” she said.

While there may political tension, both on the board and outside it, the board members all made clear – at Bradshaw’s urging – that they are not interested in backing away from the new standards.

“Because the governor’s office has not given great direction on this, there’s uncertainty,” Bradshaw said, adding that it was incumbent on the board to “give the backup to teachers that this is the path we’re on” as public schools prepare to implement the new standards at every grade level by the end of this school year.

Chartrand agreed, proclaiming that Florida officials are “not wavering at all” in their support for the new standards.

We’ll be following today’s discussion, and posting updates throughout the day. Stay tuned.